There’s a lot to celebrate in the Williams-Ohanian household! Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian have welcomed their second baby, a girl, joining 6-year-old sister Alexis Olympia Jr. The happy family shared the news on social media, along with a really heartwarming video announcement and details on their baby girl’s unique name.
Welcome, Adira River Ohanian,” Ohanian shared on social media along with some adorable photos of the new family of four.
“I’m grateful to report our house is teaming [sic] with love: a happy & healthy newborn girl and happy & healthy mama. Feeling grateful,” he continued. “@serenawilliams, you’ve now given me another incomparable gift — you’re the GMOAT,” AKA the greatest mother of all time.
Williams also shared the news on social media, posting a single photo of her new family of four and sharing her daughter’s beautiful name. According to Nameberry, the name Adira is Hebrew in origin and means “strong” and “powerful. According to the Baby Name Uniqueness analyzer, only 169 babies were born with the name “Adira” in 2021, the most recent year for which they have data.
“Adira is one of those rare names that’s both little-used and simple,” the baby name site explains. “Pronounced ah-DEER-ah, Adira is given to only a handful of girls in the US each year and could make a worthy substitute for such overexposed favorites as Ava and Ariana.”
The name Adira doesn’t immediately appear to have an obvious connection to family history for Williams or Ohanian, but it’s the third “A” name to join the family — following dad Alexis and sister Alexis.
The name River is more commonly heard than Adira. According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, the name River for a girl ranked at 150 in 2022, and it’s also a common unisex name, according to Nameberry. Obviously inspired by the body of water, Ohanian hinted at the sentimental importance of River with the quote he shared while announcing his new daughter’s name: “Your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.”
Also, with the proud parents calling their older daughter Alexis by her middle name — she goes by Olympia — we’ll have to see if Adira will be more commonly referred to as “River” the older she gets.
Congrats to the happy family!
